ABSTRACT
In India, manure as a substance and manuring as an act have multiple and complex meanings. Any assessment of manure and manuring on the Indian subcontinent in historical and contemporary perspective must begin by recognizing the specificity not only of the agricultural context in which it has been and continues to be used, but also the philosophical and religious frameworks which continue to inform farming practices. The early sixth-century encyclopaedia Brihat Samhita written by the scientist Varahamihira advises that flowering sesame could be incorporated as green manure. The equilibrium between the very existential elements of life that make up the people, livestock, plants, and soils within each ecosystem. Enhancement of growing conditions and the enrichment of the soil are achieved through the judicious use of the different products of the cow, synchronized with the planetary positions, and the interaction of the elements, the panachamahabhutas.
